Rep. Fink celebrated the unveiling of the new Marine Sergeant Michael P. Hodshire Memorial Highway sign on the portion of M-49 between W. Montgomery Road and Austin Road in Camden Township in Hillsdale County.

Sergeant Hodshire was a Hillsdale County native and member of the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. He passed on Oct. 30, 2005 of wounds sustained from indirect gunfire near Fallujah, Iraq while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was 25 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by his two children, parents, one brother, three sisters and grandparents.

Rep. Fink introduced a measure in 2021 to name the highway after the hometown hero. It was his first bill signed into law.

“This sign is an important reminder of Sergeant Hodshire’s sacrifice and that of his family and friends,” Fink said. “As a marine veteran I am especially humbled to play a small role in ensuring his life and heroism is not forgotten here in Hillsdale County.”

The naming of highways and bridges is often used to memorialize people or events of significance to the State of Michigan or its many local communities. The Michigan Memorial Highway Act is the mechanism for naming bridges and highways within the state.